Parents vow to fight recommendation to close St. Gregory school (With video)

The Catholic school board administration has recommended St. Gregory elementary school in Tecumseh be shut down at the end of this school year.

And that doesn’t sit well with parents of the close-knit Tecumseh school who vowed Thursday to do everything in their power to save the school before trustees of the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board make a final decision at a meeting on May 27.

“It’s shock and disbelief,” said Michael Rohrer, who has three children at St. Gregory and leads a parents’ group to save the school.

“I can’t imagine closing this school. You will rip the heart out of this community. This school has been here for 50 years and this just can’t happen.”

The board has three elementary schools in the town with both St. Gregory and St. Pius school at just under 80 per cent capacity.

In a report by director Paul Picard released Thursday, the board has called for St. Gregory — with 316 students — to close in June and students be sent two kilometres away to St. Pius which has an enrolment of 496. Portables will need to be installed since that school’s capacity is only 653 and the combined enrolment would be over 800.

“To me it’s goofy,” said Rohrer, who attended the school himself as a child in the 1980s.

“My message is the director is not an emperor. We will give trustees the benefit of doubt that after we provide them the all the information, they will do what is right and vote to keep this school open. We plan to work hard and fight over the next six weeks.”

Board spokeswoman Sherrilynn Colley-Vegh indicated administration did not wish to say more Thursday on the St. Gregory recommendation so as not to impact the process.

A community meeting for the Tecumseh community is scheduled for St. Anne high school on April 16 at 6 p.m., so the board can receive feedback on the recommendation to close St. Gregory’s.

“We have been open to input and continue to be,” Colley-Vegh said. “We are encouraging people to come out to the meeting and present to trustees. Collectively with everyone’s effort, we will come up with the best solution for the whole system.”

Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara’s first reaction was “shock and dismay” given the town’s growth projections which include opening up over 500 new housing lots this year.

He was disappointed an accommodation review committee of community leaders, parents and board members who recommended “status quo” on the town’s three Catholic elementary schools with partnerships to be explored within the community to fill unused school space was ignored.

“They need to look at demographics of the community,” McNamara said. “My biggest disappointment is they want to do this immediately in June. I still believe there are opportunities here. They are not looking at all the options. There are community partners ready to be involved.

“We are going to do everything we can. Everyone needs to take a step back. I see it as a huge mistake in closing that school.”

Town officials have already requested meetings with board administrators which will occur next week, McNamara said.

“It makes no sense whatsoever” to take a school at 80 per cent capacity and send the students to another at the same capacity, forcing the use of portables and more busing, he said.

“We are not going to be silent on this and will bring our best case forward,” McNamara said.

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